Warren Family History Group Visit Saturday, 10th September ... · off Paris Road, Australind WA 6233 All correspondence to: The Secretary PO Box A279 Librarian ... understand with

The Skeleton Page 1 September 2016

INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEATURE ARTICLES:

Page Editorial Australind -Beginnings 5-7 AFHS Services Dates for your Diary The Beautiful Roll Top Desk 8-10 President's Report Welcome to New Members Harvey River Diversion Sch. 11-13 Members’ Interests Web Corner My Gt Grandmother, Sarah 15-16

ISSN 14440970

The Skeleton A q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r o f t h e

A u s t r a l i n d F a m i l y H i s t o r y S o c i e t y

( I n c . )

A f f i l i a t e d w i t h W A G e n e a l o g i c a l S o c i e t y ( I n c . )

Warren Family History Group Visit

Saturday, 10th September 2016 (L-R Tanya Orso, Gail Brearley, Connie Rado, Judy Murphy,

Front: Sue Kennedy & Fiona Dickson)


The Australind Family History Society Inc.

Library and Research Centre Situated at: Australind Library Complex,

off Paris Road, Australind WA 6233

All correspondence to: The Secretary PO Box A279 Australind WA 6233 Phone: (08) 9796 1050 Email: [email protected] Website: www.australindfhs.org Annual Subscriptions: 1 Jan - 31 Dec Single Membership $35 Single Membership (Senior over 60) $25

Joint Membership $45 Joint Membership (Senior over 60) $35

15th November 2016

WE’RE ON THE WEB

www.australindfhs.org

Honorary Office Bearers

President Chris Shaw 9725 4783 Vice President Anne Kirkman 9796 0263 Secretary Glenice Stamp 9725 9667 Treasurer Chris Riley 9796 0286 Membership Sec. Marg Smith 9725 1779 Librarian Pam Ayers 9797 1383 C’ttee Members: Carol Sims 9724 1178 Kate Bullock 9725 9445 Jayne Denham 9797 1629 Avalon Donovan 9797 0198

LIBRARY HOURS

Tuesday 10 am - 5 pm

Wednesday 10 am - 5 pm

Thursday 10 am - 5 pm

Saturdays by appointment - no extra charge

Non-member charges

Use of library $5 per session

A researcher is available to conduct

research on behalf of the Society

Contact Mr Alan Reynolds via the Library on 9796 1050 or email: [email protected]

Research Initial Fee $10 for 2 hrs Additional $ 5 per hr Photocopying and Postage extra

Disclaimer The Society does not hold itself responsible for statements or opinions expressed by authors of papers

published in this newsletter. The accuracy of offers, services or goods appearing here cannot be vouched

for by the Society. The Editorial Team reserves the right to condense and edit articles to meet the

approved size limits of our newsletter.

Your Contributions … Please email articles for the next newsletter to the Australind website with

‘Newsletter’ in the Subject line or leave in the tray at the Family History Library: [email protected]

Deadline for the receipt of articles for next edition of the Skeleton.

mailto:[email protected]

http://members.iinet.net.au/~alindfhs/





Message from the Editorial Team

Hello everyone

Here we are again with our latest Skeleton, full of interesting stories and articles.

First of all, thanks to all those members who sent in their stories. We couldn't include them all in this edition, but don't despair, they will be included in subsequent editions. Keep on sending in your stories!!

As you can see from the photo on the front cover, we had a visit from the lovely ladies from Warren Family History Group on Saturday, 10th September 2016. Thanks for making the time each year to come and see us at the Library, Ladies!

The E-Team are busy compiling stories about the Early Settlers of Australind to include in the next three editions that leads us up to the 175th Anniversary of the Australind settlement in April 2017. We would welcome any stories you may have, especially if you are a descendant.

Once again, thanks go to Marg for helping out with this newsletter - it's much appreciated! Anne & Jayne The E-Team

The E-Team

DATES for your DIARY

Author Linda J Bettenay speaks at

Australind Public Library at

2-3.30pm on Monday, 24th October

2016. See further details on page 17.

On request we can arrange appointments for

researchers to come into the Library on

Saturdays (between 10am and 2pm).

Committee meetings: Last Friday of the

month. 10am. AFHS Library.

WAGS Library open Mon 9:30 - 20:00 Wed-Fri 9:30 - 14:30 Sat 13:00 - 17:00 www.wags.org.au

TIP: Don’t forget to bring along your USB

thumb drive to save files from your web

research.

----------------------------------------------------

AFHS SERVICES

Library Visit

Affiliated Societies - no charge (show membership card)

Non members - $5 per visit Membership 1 Jan 2016 – 31 Dec 2016. Computer Use Internet Access -includes Ancestry.com + Find My Past and many more.

All users $2 per hr

Printouts 30c each Burn CDs $1 each

Micro Film/Fiche Readers/ Pro Scan All users $2 per hr Printouts 30c each

Photocopying

A4 B&W single 20c Double-sided 30c

A4 Colour single 30c Double-sided 50c

A3 B&W single 30c Double-sided 60c

Ring Binding

Up to 50 sheets $2 Laminating Please ask at desk

http://www.wags.org.au/


FORGOTTEN WHERE WE ARE?

Situated close to the new shopping precinct 'The Village', in Australind we would love to welcome you back, even bring a friend who has perhaps talked about researching their family history. We have an extensive library and access to many online sites that are continually being updated. Our willing and able volunteers are always keen to assist you with your research whether local or overseas. Our premises are behind the Australind Public Library and we are open from 10am-5pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Look forward to seeing you soon

President’s Report

Hello to fellow Members and Researchers

Welcome to the September Skeleton.

The Sausage Sizzle went really well and I think we could have made about $600 profit. It was a nice day, cool but not wet and we could have done with a few more customers. However, it was steady all day and we are very lucky to have Bunnings support us with all their equipment. We had enough helpers and the men were great organising themselves into what jobs they needed to do. Also 'the girls' were wonderful - we have a group who've been doing the sizzles for many years, starting outside Harvey Norman. Thanks very much, we could not do it without you all. Hope to see you next year.

Some members from Warren Family History were here on Saturday, 10th September for the annual visit. This is always a great day and we love getting together to share lunch and cuppas

The Collie Family History Conference is being held on 16th and 17th September and Carol Vickridge and myself, Chris Shaw will represent Australind Family History.

Hope you all enjoy the warmer weather and the wonderful spring flowers.

Enjoy reading The Skeleton.

Cheers Chris Shaw


AUSTRALIND - BEGINNINGS

*Louisa Clifton's Painting of View of Pt Leschenault (Koombana Bay 1840s)

Australind is a picturesque spot on the Leschenault Estuary where in 1841 the first European settlers arrived

on the ship Parkfield, followed by the Diadem in 1842, and the Trusty 1842 and 1846. (Leschenault was

named in honour of French botanist Jean-Baptist Louis Claude Theodore Leschenault de la Tour).

On Board Parkfield

"Land in sight!" rang from the masthead.

"There in the far horizon in the grey colouring of the coming twilight loomed the faint

outline of our adopted land. At a distance of thirty or forty miles it rose high and the

moment my eyes rested on this dim, discovered scene was one the remembrance of which

the lightest life can never obliterate. None who have not known what it is to sigh, to long

with sickening longing for land after a voyage of more than three months can fully

understand with what ecstasy of feeling the first view and scent of land greets the weary

senses."

The Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express, 26th March 1928.

Some ten years after the Swan River Colony had been established the British were looking to expand the

colony, and back in Britain several land schemes were being discussed in an effort to bring much-needed

labour to the new colony. Not all came to fruition other than the scheme known as The West Australian

Land Company formed in 1840 at its offices in London. The company was to follow the Wakefield

(Edward Gibbon Wakefield) system of colonisation and emigration which entailed selling crown land to

investors with sufficient capital to pay for their own labour and buy the land. It was also hoped that a

prosperous trade between India and Western Australia would develop, hence the name Australind (early

documentation shows spelling, 'Austra-Ind'.)

At the inception of the Swan River Colony, Colonel Latour sent out a large number of farm labourers with

the object of establishing an estate in the colony, and in return he received 43,000 hectares of land at

Leschenault, Australind, which the West Australian Land Company purchased for their new settlement.

Land was also purchased from the former WA Governor, James Stirling (1828-1838), who also had land in

the area. * Louisa Clifton's painting is on display in the Library.


The plan was to establish an English-styled village with boulevards and avenues, a town square, a port,

market place, hospital, churches, cathedral, colleges and town hall. Settlers could even establish a small

country estate, but were unaware the land was unsuitable for farming.

Promotion of the scheme was well advertised:

"Whole families, whole circles of friends may go out together and the whole

society....... begin their new world with our advantages - machinery, literature,

art, science the memories and possessions of the old world with the hopes and

power of a new field of exertion." Canberra Times 27 March 1991

The Company drew up detailed plans of the new settlement - terms of land sale, climate, soil, anchorage,

regulations for the new emigrants and the following:-

SCALE OF EMIGRANT'S OUTFIT

"The Articles necessary for the Emigrant's Outfit, may be obtained by payment of the under- mentioned prices, at the Company's Office (Emigration Department), or of Messrs. RICHARD DIXON and Co., No.12, Fenchurch Street, London. N.B. - No other mattresses, or bedding, will be allowed to be shipped, except such as have been approved by the Company, as under stated."

For each adult Male. s. d. Two Fustian Jackets, lined at 5 3 each. Two pair ditto Trousers, at 4s. 3d. Lined at 5 3 per pair. Two ditto Duck ditto, at 2 3 ditto. Two Round Frocks, at 2 5 each. Twelve Cotton Shirts, at 2 0 each. Six pair worsted Stockings, at 1 6 per pair. Two Scottish Caps, at 0 11 each. Six Handkerchiefs, at 0 8 ditto. Six course Towels, at 0 7 ditto. One pair of Boots, with hobnails, &c., at 7 6 per pair. One pair of Shoes, at 4s. 3d. and 5 0 ditto. Four pounds of Soap, at 0 8 per pound. One pair Blankets, at 8s. and 9 6 per pair. Two pair Sheets, at 4s. 3d. per pair, or for two persons 3 6 per pair. One Coverlet, at 1s. 10d. and, 2 0 each

For each adult Female. Two Gowns, or eighteen yards printed Cotton, at 51/2 per yard. Two Petticoats, or six yards coloured Calico, at 51/2 ditto. Two Ditto Flannel, or six yards Flannel, at 1 2 ditto. Twelve Shifts, or thirty yards long Cloth, at 0 6 ditto. Six Caps, or three yards Muslin at 1 0 ditto. Six Handkerchiefs, at 0 8 ditto. Six Aprons, or six yards Check, at 0 8 per yard. Six Neckerchiefs, at 0 8 each. Six Towels, at 0 7 ditto. One Pair Stays, at 3 6 per pair. Six Pair Black Worsted Stockings, at 1 2 ditto. Two Pair Shoes, at 3s. 6d. and 4 0 ditto. One Bonnet, at 2 0 each. Needles, Pins, Buttons, Thread, Tape, &c, an assortment of 2 0 Four Pounds Marine Soap, at 0 8 per pound. Two Pounds Starch, at 0 8 ditto. One Mattress and Bolster for each couple, of coloured wool 11 0 Knife and Fork, Plate, Spoon, Drinking Mug, & c., say, 3 0


----------------------------------------- Children must be provided with a proportionate Outfit, including mattress, &c. which may be had upon payment of the under-mentioned sum for each child, namely:- £ s. d. One year of age, and under seven 1 0 0 Seven years of age, and under fourteen 1 10 0

-----------------------------------------

On 2nd September 1840 the Surveyors had left London on the Island Queen for the proposed new settlement

where they would prepare the site in readiness for the settlers. Soon after, the Parkfield set out with the first

party of emigrants who included the appointed Chief Commissioner Marshall Waller Clifton. What

transpired prior to the Parkfield's departure was unsettling information relayed to the Company from the

explorer George Grey warning that the settlement site was unsuitable for agriculture and a poor site for a

port. Grey's suggestion was to relocate to the Gascoyne, present-day Geraldton. Clifton was nervous but

insisted the Captain of the Parkfield sail to Australind; and that they did.

Parkfield passenger's observation of the estuary shoreline -

"The scenery of the estuary gratified us extremely, the banks on both sides

beautifully wooded down to the water's edge with foliage of various tints even at

this time of year." The Bunbury Herald and Blackwood Express 26 March 1928.

On arrival Clifton inspected the site, leaving the passengers on board where they stayed for a few days

whilst he travelled to Perth to discuss matters with Governor Hutt. Clifton wished to have a recognised

settlement. Hutt agreed.

Returning to site the passengers disembarked to begin their new life. These new settlers and the ones that

followed found it "tuff" adjusting to their new surroundings. The scene they saw from on board ship gave

no indication of the struggles ahead. The soil was poor, they had limited machinery and supplies, summer

was very dry, and winter very wet.

Those disillusioned with the challenges left, to go back home, to Bunbury and to other States.

Public opinion in England over the uncertainty of the settlement deterred investors, and the plight of the

American recession 1841-1844, were major obstacles for the settlement to progress. Consequently the

company ceased operations in the year 1843. A few of the more hardy settlers stayed on.

(to be continued....................

------------------------------------------

You know you are a Genealogy addict

when .......

You would rather browse in a cemetery than a shopping mall!!


THE BEAUTIFUL ROLL TOP DESK FROM ROBINSON & SMITH BAKEHOUSE

AT MIDLAND JUNCTION An Object Biography by member Janis Tutisai

Cutler-roll top desk, Private Collection

Don't I look gorgeous with my matching chair. During the past 35 years, I was hidden away in the back

room of the garage at my owners house in West Midland and was covered with rubbish and junk. I was

rescued by the eldest son and his wife in 1998 and taken to Georges Furniture Restoration Company,

Guildford WA, and cleaned up from all the black muck that covered me, now look at me I am a beautiful

American Honey Oak Wood roll top desk, with all my current and past favourite family photos on display.

Cutler-roll top desk

According to information researched on Wikipedia which was used to research the factory where I was

constructed, they are called Abner Cutler & Son (circa 1820) who were cabinetmakers in Buffalo, New

York, USA.

They were a company that only built rolltop desks way back in the 1800s and had a name change by 1870 to

Cutler & Son.

The next name change occurred by the early 1900s and were known as the Cutler Desk Co. By 1930 after

amalgamation they were the Sikes Chair Co.


Janet Beal in 'How to determine the age of an Antique roll-top-desk.' In her paragraph 2 she says,'that from

1900 most desks were oak' I will have to check with the private collection as to what's on the roll top desk

they have.

The private collector had noticed a number embossed on my left side which said C1895 Number 361. In

Google Search it proves that I am approximately 121 years old. According to Figure 3. Georges, Oak roll

top desk picture, I measure width 920 x depth 660 x height 1095, and in the private collection picture in

Figure 1. on the left side of the desk you can see I have 2 upright slots for documents, 6 pigeon holes, a

horizontal slide out drawer, another horizontal slot under this drawer, then in the middle I have 2 more

horizontal slots for more paper work to be held, and one open draw under the two slots, then below that the

pen and the ink pot holder, on the left side just below the desk top you have a slide out table and then three

small drawers and 1 large drawer, which is replicated on the right hand side of the desk.

I have a beautiful roll top that opens and shuts, unfortunately according to the private collection the key is

missing, so I can no longer be locked up.

Georges Furniture Restoration, Cutler-roll top desk,

Tony. http://www.georgesfurn.com

Desks--Bureaus--Roll-Tops.html.

Width 920 x Depth 660 x Height 1095

Looking and comparing the above two pictures of the desks showed me they were identical and assisted me

in identifying that I was definitely a Cutler roll top desk.

I don't know how I got from USA to Australia. According to family folklore I was bought over from the

Eastern States to Kalgoorlie by my original owner. I do know that my owner was living and working in

Kalgoorlie as a baker, also on the Perth to Kalgoorlie water pipeline as a cook, where un-be-known to me, I

think I was in storage or at a private residence for the duration.

In 1912 we moved down to Midland Junction and my owner bought into a Bakehouse and called it Robinson

& Smith Bakers, a name change from the original name of Horne & Smith Bakers. Where they produced

bread that was delivered all around the Swan, Guildford, & Midland Junction districts by horse and cart.

Whilst there in the Office across from the kitchen in the residence, I watched as my owner and his wife give

birth to 7 children. The eldest son of my owner worked in the bakery from an early age together with his

siblings, they would fight over whose turn it was to sit in my chair at my desk and do the bookkeeping for

the bakery. Whilst the girls would help their mother in the kitchen. They also used to fight over where my

secret drawers and hidey-holes were in my desk. See below the internal drawings for the workings of my

roll top.


CUTLER Abner, Patents US 283468 A,

↙ Google Home, last modified

August 15, 2016

http://www.google.com/patents/US283468.

Whilst my owner was sitting at my desk I also witnessed the news by phone, of the death of his son in the

2nd World War in a Bomber over Maastricht in Holland.

I was at Byers Road Midland Junction from 1912 to 1963. I experienced the highs and lows of all the

family. The success of his children, in their schooling, and accomplish learning the violin, and trumpet. I

witnessed their marriages and the fact that his youngest son became a Doctor who was the Medical

Superintendent at Royal Fremantle Hospital, and escorted Princess Diana around the hospital during her

visit to Perth to open the Princess of Wales Wing in 1976.

I witnessed the change from the horse and cart to vehicles for the bread delivery, then the upgrade of the

ovens from firewood to oil to cook the bread. I watched as the different apprentice bakers over the years

became the chief baker in charge.

In the marriage of the oldest son to his wife, who gave birth to his 5 children. Experiencing again this latest

generation of children fighting over who would sit in my chair, spinning around and around getting dizzy,

and who wouldn't. Although the rest of the family would be working in the bakery at jobs to earn their

pocket money.

So now we are back in 1963 at the closure of the bakery and my placement in the back room of the garage in

West Midland. To wait for 35 years to pass, then in 1998 I was restored back to my original glory and now I

get cleaned and dusted monthly to keep up my lovely shine.

I have witnessed the oldest son and his wife give birth to 2 children. It's now 2016 and I have watched as

they have moved through their lives, growing up, through schooling, and marriage. I am enjoying my life as

it is now living and breathing amongst the latest generations of the families.

-----------------------------------------------

Some family trees have beautiful leaves

and some have just a bunch of nuts.

Remember it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking!

Author unknown


HARVEY RIVER DIVERSION

AND DRAINAGE SCHEME

This memorial artwork is situated in the Stirling Cottage gardens in

Harvey. It commemorates the Harvey River Diversion scheme during

the Depression years of the 1930s.

The Harvey River Diversion scheme was sponsored by the

Commonwealth Government in order to provide unemployment relief

during the 1930s, and was managed by WA's Public Works

Department (PWD).

In 1911, an engineer named Walter Roland (Roy) Eckersley was appointed by the PWD to survey the

Harvey district for suitable drainage in the area, so as to reduce seasonal flooding of valuable agricultural

land. Eckersley’s plan was to drain the Harvey River into Lake Preston, linking the Harvey and Leschenault

Estuaries by building a canal through Lakes Clifton and Preston. This design would provide the extra water

needed to produce the scour necessary to remove excessive salt water. However, Eckersley’s proposal got

no further than the drawing board and it wasn't until 1930s, when the need was great to provide men with

employment, that a revised design was drawn up. Instead of constructing a canal through the two lakes, the

river diversion was directed into the sea, just south of Myalup - a distance of approximately 14 miles.

The plan was to turn the excessive winter flow of water

into the river diversion and, in the summer, open up the

flood gates to allow the summer flow into the natural

channel. Farmers downstream still had water rights

during the dry season. The floodgates in the old river

course and the sluices beside them had to be strongly

constructed to prevent the river from washing away the

man-made structures during the winter.

Harvey River Drain Construction (mountaingirlrae.blogspot.com)

This project was run to employ as many jobless men

for the lowest cost, even though it could have been

done cheaper and quicker by machine. Men worked

two days a week on a ‘sustenance wage’. There were

2,500 men recorded to have worked on the scheme.

They were accommodated in camps west of Harvey,

at Myalup and nearby Stonehouse. At times, up to

3,500 people, including wives and children, lived in

these camps.

Sustenance Camp (www.harveyhistoryonline.com)


Each man wore around their necks a metal

disc with their name and number on. They

had to produce this disc to deduct from their

wages any expenses incurred e.g. tent hire.

Workers cooked for themselves on an open

fire.

A cross-section of society worked on this project, from men who were well-educated to ordinary labourers.

They had become disillusioned living in poverty during the Depression years; their spirits broken, not

knowing what the future held for them.

These camps became like small townships known as ‘mushroom towns’, with the government providing

water supplies, shops, hospitals and social centres. Life in these camps though was extremely hard, and the

men endured dreadful conditions. Gambling was rampant. This article dated 23 March 1932 describes the

state of the camps:-

"A silent, spiritless procession ploughing with heavy feet through dirt from the 'pits'; a grotesque,

pot-bellied creature clad in bather trunks and skull cap; a miserable, be-whiskered youth tossing

on a mean bag bed, fleas fastened to his flesh; boys passing wearily to manhood in soiled,

improper rags; a leaderless legion open to temptation; grimy, profane tatterdemalions gambling

their last pennies in the glare of acetylene lamps..."

They had to work under primitive conditions, in

the hot sun. At the Harvey end of the diversion

where there was heavy clay, the drain was dug

using a coal-fired mechanical drag-line. Further

west towards Myalup, work involved manual

labour to excavate the sand, using shovels and

wheelbarrows.

Digging the Drain (google images - harveyriverdiversion)

At the time the scheme was regarded as one of the States' engineering achievements. It took nearly four

years to complete, with many obstacles encountered along the way at a cost of nearly ₤300,000. The

agricultural land affected by flooding, could now be cultivated, giving local farmers better production.


This article from the West Australian, dated 28 May 1935 reports on the diversion scheme's completion:-

HARVEY RIVER DIVERSION "The Harvey River diversion scheme is now completed, the final dredging having been made.

The work was commenced over three years ago when sustenance men, numbering about 2,000,

were given employment at Myalup, where work commenced. The bridge on the main road into

Harvey, where the new diversion has gone through, is nearing completion, and it is expected that

the road will soon be opened to traffic again.

Preparations are being made for an official opening of the river diversion, probably at the

beginning of August. On the same day a new road board office and extensions to the present

Harvey Hall will be opened, and the occasion will be a pioneers’ day, on which residents of 35

years” standing, or over, will be guests of the road board. The Lieutenant-Governor, Sir James

Mitchell, the Premier, Mr Collier, and another Minister will be invited. A souvenir booklet,

tracing the growth of the district, is being prepared.”

A stone monument stands near the channel off Baker Street in Harvey and commemorates the men that

worked on the Harvey River diversion scheme:-

MEMORIAL INSCRIPTION

In memory of the thousands of men

whose labour in the Depression years made the Harvey River Diversion and Drainage Scheme

possible.

This diversion drain conveys water from the Harvey River and the irrigation and drainage

network to the ocean at Myalup.

1930-1935

Sources: "They Made Their Destiny. History of Settlement - Shire of Harvey 1829-1929" by A C Staples. Articles

from Trove - nla.gov.au

---------------------------------------------

MY HAIRCUT (written by Henry Stone)

One day my sister said to me, "Your hair looks like a girl's,

Come, sit you down upon this box, And I'll snip off all those curls"

My hair needed cutting,

I will admit, So I sat down right away; I was Daisey's first victim,

So I didn't have to pay.

Snip, said the scissors cheerily, "Oh, Aah, ah!" cried I;

As a piece of my ear fell to the ground,

And I jumped nearly up to the sky.

"Can't you sit still?" screamed Daisey,

"I can't cut your hair like that, When you're wobbling and jumping from side to side; You fidgety, ignorant bat."

My hair is cut like a corkscrew, I'm afraid to go without a hat, Daisey said it was my fault -

How'd you like a sister like that?


HAIRCUT STORIES

JAYNE'S STORY

This is one of my Dad's childhood memories from

when he was growing up in Staffordshire, England

in the 1920s:-

"Young boys wore their hair in those days in what

was known as the donkey fringe style. The fringe

came down to the eyebrow level and that is the way

I wore my thick dark brown hair until one day my

brother, Norman who was some years older than me

got hold of me and convinced me that I needed a

haircut. And that was the end of my donkey fringe.

I can recollect my mother hearing me cry and

immediately came and pulled me to her comforting

me saying, "What have thay done to thee lad?"

(There must have been more of them, brothers,

involved at the time). But I noticed as my mother

held me close to her that she was trying to

suppress her laughter and her belly wobbled with

this reaction. However, all was put right by my

eldest brother, Harry who shaped my hair into

what was then known as a Prussian haircut, a style

that came from Germany in WWI, I think.

Despite this improvement, I remember I was still

upset especially going back to school looking this

way. I imagined being the object of ridicule, with

lads pointing and laughing at me uppermost in my

mind, as in that period of time you had to wear a

sort of skull cap (blue coloured) if anyone had head

infections, e.g. ring worm, head lice etc.

I was worried stiff they would think I had one of

these conditions because it was cut so short but as

time went by my hair grew and I survived and the

wearing of the dreaded skull cap never eventuated

and the local lads from school came to our house

asking, "Can you cut our hair like your Jack's?"

MARG'S STORY

My Mum used to tell me stories about life on the

family dairy farm in the 1920s. She was the eldest

of eight and because her mother was bed-ridden she

was given a lot of responsibility around the home.

One of those jobs was haircuts.

Imagine if you will a dark night, no electricity, and a

farm worker sitting ready for a trim at the kitchen

table.

Mum's sister Phyliss is holding the kerosene lamp.

Phyliss is told time and again........ "Hold the lamp

steady Phyl!".

Then "A-A-A-gh!!, you've gone and chopped me ear

off!!" and the farm worker took off out the door.

Luckily Mum had only snipped off a tiny bit of his

earlobe, but I don't think he ever came back for

another haircut.


MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER, SARAH by member Beverley Dyer

My father’s maternal great grandmother Sarah Laughlin married William Dodd on 2nd

October 1875.

According to the marriage certificate she was the daughter of James Laughlin and Nancy (a pet form of

Agnes) Maxwell, and was born in Downpatrick, County Down in Ireland in about 1849. Twenty two years

later according to her death certificate she was born about 1843 and had resided in Victoria since the age of

4. Searching for the arrival of a Sarah with parents James & Nancy, an immigration record for a James

Lachlan travelling with daughter Sarah aged 9, with an estimated year of birth of 1843, from Down in

Ireland was found. They were on board the Bourneuf out of Liverpool and arrived in Geelong on 3rd

September 1852. Also on board the Bourneuf where a Mary Lachlan aged 26, Anne Jane Lachlan aged 22,

Agnes Lachlan aged 17 and Margaret Lachlan aged 15 - they likewise came from Down in Ireland.

These girls travelled separately from James and Sarah, in the female quarters and were listed as 'domestic

servants'. From marriage and death indexes it appears that they were the older sisters of Sarah and making

it likely that this is indeed the correct family group. But what would make a family leave Ireland and

travel to the other side of the globe at this time? The years in Ireland since the birth of Sarah had been

rather harsh as the Great Famine decimated the

population with approximately a million deaths and

a million emigrating. The discovery of gold in the

colony of Victoria provided a very attractive

opportunity and it appears that the Laughlin family

took it.

If we accept the record for the Lachlan’s, spelt

phonetically, as Sarah and her family, we need to

ask why Nancy did not join them. Was Nancy one

of the many victims of the famine or did she

succumb like many women to childbirth? Having

survived the hardship in Ireland for over a decade

the family journeyed to the other side of the world,

but their suffering was not yet over. The ship

Bourneuf departed from Liverpool 26th May 1852

and they journeyed through hell for the next three

months with many deaths on board from Scarlet

Fever and Measles, this precipitated an

investigation into the safe conduct of emigrants.


So having finally arrived in the Colony of Victoria after the arduous journey what became of Sarah? No

information has been passed down so Birth Marriage and Death (BMD) indexes and newspaper reports are

all that is available to help build a picture of her life. Our first glimpse of her life is in a newspaper report of

an infant death in 1859. It appears that Sarah at the age of 16 gave birth to an illegitimate daughter who

subsequently died resulting in the inquest that was reported in the Argus. This article helps to confirm the

family group, as Sarah is living with her sister Anne (Jane) who married Joseph Hallows. It is really quite

sad in many ways as she appears to have unwillingly stood by and watched her baby die of ‘inanition’, being

obedient to the decisions made by the adults around her and also denied the opportunity of being a mother.

The article indicates that her sister planned to send her into service after the birth of the child and later

evidence indicates this is what occurred. Sadly in 1865 she makes the newspaper again. On this occasion

she was arrested after the discovery of the body of a deceased infant in a water closet. It is alleged that she

concealed the birth and disposed of the body. It is impossible to guess what was going through her mind but

the situation in which she found herself is completely tragic.

Sarah does not appear in the newspapers again thankfully, but the BMD

Indexes indicate that she had more illegitimate children, a son James born in

1871 this was followed by the birth of triplets in 1875, Ellen, Thomas

William and John James sadly none of the three survived for more than 11

days. She then marries William Dodd; it is suspected that he is the father of

the triplets but is not clear as no father was listed on registration. The couple

have two daughters Emma born in 1877 and Ellen in 1879. It would be nice

to think that the last twenty two years of her life were filled with some joy

and happiness as she watched her surviving children grow into adults prior to

her death at the relatively young age of 54.

Although very poor quality, this photo has been passed down in the belief

that it is of Sarah Dodd (nee Laughlin)

------------------------------------------------------

LIBRARY BOOKS

MISSING BOOK!

"When Blue was True" (Brunswick) (WA S/W HIS 1173) Does anyone have any clues to its whereabouts?


** WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS **

685 Shirley Curran Australind

686 Rhonda Epis Australind

687 Michael Willard Eaton

688 Lynn Willard Eaton

689 Rosemary Hughes Bunbury

Please check the following list to see if you have a common interest that is relevant to your family history research:-

Surname Place State/County Country Period Member No.

MULHOLLAND

ANT IRE

685

HUGHES Gloucestershire GLS ENG Pre 1900 689

MASON Cheltenham GLS ENG Pre 1840 689

CULL Winchombe GLS ENG Pre 1900 689

RANDELL Cirencester GLS ENG Pre 1900 689

IF MEMBERS HAVE MORE NAMES THEY WOULD LIKE ADDED TO THE

MEMBERS' INTERESTS, PLEASE CONTACT US AND WE WILL PUT THEM

IN THE NEXT EDITION.

Please ring the AFHS Library on 9796 1050 to arrange contact with new members

you have a common interest with.

PUT THIS DATE IN YOUR DIARY>>

Author Linda J Bettenay Speaks at the Australind Public Library

Date: Monday 24 October

Time: 2.00pm - 3.30pm Free Event - Light Afternoon Tea Provided

RSVPs: 97974590 or [email protected]

Linda's books include: 'Secret's Mothers Keep,

'Wishes For Starlight' and her latest novel 'The Apple Core Wars'

MEMBERS’ INTERESTS


WEB CORNER

*** Remember to visit our own AFHS Website administered by Chris Riley*** www.australindfhs.org

---------------------------------

*IMPORTANT NOTICES*

Trove - www.nla.gov.au - has become an invaluable tool that is used by millions of researchers and

is supported by an enormous community volunteer effort. The NLA will be limiting Trove, in order

to meet its 'efficiency dividends', especially in its capacity to add new collections. The Royal

Historical Society of Victoria recommends that you write to the federal Minister for the Arts to point

out the backward step that this involves or you may wish to contact your local federal member.

Good move for WA researchers

WA Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages have available Uncertified Copies of historical births,

deaths and marriages for $20 each. This service is in addition to the current practice of offering

reduced priced certificates for family history purposes.

Where to get Certificates: Application forms can be posted with cheque or money order to

PO Box 7720, Cloisters Square, Perth 6850, Ph: 1300 305 021, Internet: www.justice.wa.gov.au

The Friends of Battye Library have updated their Convict Records of Western Australia and these can be

downloaded from their website: www.friendsofbattyelibrary.org.au on the home page New Release.

Jersey Archive have launched an Online Catalogue to enable people to view or download documents, previously

only available when visiting Jersey. For a small annual subscription fee on a pay-per-view basis the documents

include 200,000 images from collections such as the Occupation Registration Cards, Allen's Immigration Cards,

Hospital Registers, the Superintendent Registrar's Indexes for Birth, Marriages and Deaths, Wills and Testaments

and Undertakers' records. Check it out here: http://catalogue.jerseyheritage.org/

Irish Genealogy - www.irishgenealogy.ie - a free Irish Government portal links you to a range of databases:

2.8 million indexed church records from late 1500s. These include Church of Ireland, Catholic and some

Presbyterian baptism, marriage and burial records for parishes and counties Dublin, Cork, Carlow and

Kerry.

Civil registration records for the Republic of Ireland from 1864.

1901 and 1911 census for all 32 counties.

Fragments of the 1821-1851 censuses (not destroyed in the Four Courts fire in 1922).

Notes from 1841 and 1851 censuses about subsequent pension applicants.

Tithe Applotments 1823-1837.

Griffiths Valuation 1847-1864

Index of Irish Wills and Administrations 1858-1920.

Ireland-Australia Transportation 1791-1853.

Deceasedonline - is adding the second lot of records for the Aberdeenshire region in Scotland. 200-plus burial

grounds and cemeteries managed by Aberdeenshire Council. Recently added 20 sites dating back to the early 17th

century. Visit www.deceasedonline.com.

RootsIreland.ie new records online for County Leitrim, Ireland includes - 1821 Census Carrigallen Parish (7,264

records) & 1821 Census Drumreilly Parish (24 records). Visit www.leitrim.rootireland.ie.



Genealogy Pox

Very contagious to adults!

SYMPTOMS:

Continual complaint as to need for names, dates, and places. Patient has a blank expression and is

sometimes deaf to spouse and children. Has no taste for work of any kind except feverishly looking

through records at the library and courthouse. Has compulsion to write letters. Swears at the postman

when he does not leave mail. Frequents strange places, such as cemeteries, ruins, and remote desolate

country areas. Makes secret calls at night. Hides telephone bills from spouse. The patient mumbles to

him/herself and has a strange faraway look in his eyes.

TREATMENT:

Medication is useless. Disease is not fatal but grows progressively worse. Patient should attend

genealogy workshops, subscribe to genealogy magazines and be given a quiet corner in the house

where he or she can work alone.

REMARKS:

The unusual nature of this disease is, the sicker the patient gets, the more he or she enjoys it.

THERE IS NO KNOWN CURE!

Genealogy begins as an interest, becomes a hobby, continues as a vocation, takes over as an

obsession; and in its last stages ... is an incurable disease ... but such a fun disease!!!

175th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST SHIPS ARRIVING IN AUSTRALIND

Are you one of the descendants of families who came on ships

Island Queen (1840), Parkfield (1841), Trusty (1842) or Diadem (1842)?

We are planning a special event in 2017 to celebrate the arrival of the first settlers to

Australind.

Discussions with Harvey Shire and other relevant organisations are now underway.

More information in our next edition - watch this space!

WITH THE UPCOMING EVENT, IN 2017, TO CELEBRATE THE

ANNIVERSARY OF THE EARLY SETTLERS OF AUSTRALIND, OUR

NEXT THREE EDITIONS OF THE SKELETON WILL CONTAIN

STORIES RELATED TO THE NEW SETTLEMENT.

MEMBERS INPUT WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATED.

"GET YOUR THINKING CAPS ON"!

-------------------------------------------------------

Thank you to all those members who sent in stories for the newsletter. If your story isn't in this edition, we will be including it in our future editions.

Documents

Warren Family History Group Visit Saturday, 10th September ... · off Paris Road, Australind WA 6233 All correspondence to: The Secretary PO Box A279 Librarian ... understand with